Academic Advocacy
Know Your
Student Rights
The SCSU is committed to educating students about their rights both inside and outside of the classroom. This campaign aims to give students the tools to challenge any violation of rights and to empower students to act as their own advocates. The office of the Vice-President Academics and University Affairs is committed to supporting students through the Know Your Rights Campaign.
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IX.3 Students with Disabilities IX.4 AccessAbility Services
Students With Disabilities
The University of Toronto supports and accommodates students, faculty and staff with disabilities. This is in keeping with its commitment to create a community that is inclusive of all persons and treats all members of the community in an equitable manner. In creating such a community, the University aims to foster a climate of understanding and mutual respect for the dignity and worth of all persons. The University strives to provide the full range of activities to individuals with disabilities as is provided to others, while at the same time ensuring the protection of their privacy, confidentiality and autonomy. (Reference)
AccessAbility Services
AccessAbility Services at UT Scarborough is responsible for supporting students with disabilities. Once a student requests accommodation and provides appropriate documentation for their disabilities, staff in AccessAbility Services assess their needs and determine appropriate and reasonable accommodations, consulting with faculty where appropriate. All information that AccessAbility Services collects from students about their disabilities is kept in strict confidence as prescribed by law.
As an instructor, you play a key role in accommodating students with disabilities. If you suspect that a student is having difficulties which may be caused by a disability, please encourage him/her to seek advice from AccessAbility Services. Once AccessAbility Services has determined appropriate accommodations for a student in your course, they will contact you. The two most common accommodations about which you might be contacted are the presence of note takers in your lectures, and the provision of alternate test and exam arrangements. Instructors are encouraged to consult with AccessAbility Services for advice and assistance in matters concerning students with disabilities. For more information on the mission and services offered by AccessAbility Services visit their website. (Reference)
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III.1 Course Syllabus
“…The syllabus should be made available to students by the end of the first week of classes, and must be filed with your Department Office as early as possible in each term, but no later than the last date to add the course (usually two weeks after the start of classes). Your syllabus should describe the course format (lecture, seminar, etc.) and explain what this means. It should also contain the following standard information:
instructor contact information (e.g. office phone number, e-mail address) and preferred method of contact; office hours; the timing of all tests and assignments, as well as the grading scheme; required and recommended reading (see above, sections II.1 and II.3); and whether there is a final exam…” (Reference)
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III.2 Methods of Evaluation
“…For undergraduate courses, at least one piece of term work which is part of the evaluation of student performance, and has a weight of at least 20% of the final grade, must be returned to the student prior to the last date to withdraw from the course without academic penalty…” (Reference)
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VII.3 Appeals Concerning Term Work
Where a student wishes to appeal the instructor’s evaluation of a piece of term work or the instructor’s grading practices, the student should first speak with the instructor. If this does not settle the matter, it should be referred to the Chair/Director of the Department/Centre. As a last resort, the student may appeal the decision of the Chair/Director to the Vice-Dean, Undergraduate, or designate.
Where a student wishes to appeal a grade on term work returned after the instructor has submitted the grades, or wishes to appeal a grading practice that comes to light only after the instructor has submitted their grades, a petition is required. (Reference)
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Policy on Scheduling of Classes and Examinations and Other Accommodations for Religious Observances
“It is the policy of the University of Toronto to arrange reasonable accommodation of the needs of students who observe religious holy days other than those already accommodated by ordinary scheduling and statutory holidays.
Students have a responsibility to alert members of the teaching staff in a timely fashion to upcoming religious observances and anticipated absences. Instructors will make every reasonable effort to avoid scheduling tests, examinations or other compulsory activities at these times. If compulsory activities are unavoidable, every reasonable opportunity should be given to these students to make up work that they miss, particularly in courses involving laboratory work. When the scheduling of tests or examinations cannot be avoided, students should be informed of the procedure to be followed to arrange to write at an alternate time.” (Reference)
Your Academic Rights
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III.2 Methods of Evaluation
“…Student performance in an undergraduate course must be assessed over more than one assignment, and no single piece of work (essay, test, examination, etc.) should have a value of more than 80% of the grade. Undergraduate field courses, independent study courses and project courses may be exempt from this requirement – in such courses, more than 80% of the final mark may be based on a thesis, a research essay or project, or an examination. In graduate courses, there is no requirement for multiple assessments, however, if any one essay, test, examination, etc. has a value of more than 80% of the grade, this must be made clear to students either via the course syllabus or outline. If participation forms part of the final grade it should not have a value of more than 20% of the grade…” (Reference)
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V.1 Term Tests
“… b. No test worth more than 10% of the final grade may be given in the last two weeks of a term;
c. No test may be given during Reading Week or other Study Breaks preceding the examination periods as the purpose of these times is to enable students to catch up with, or get ahead in, their reading; …” (Reference)
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Conditions of Use at the University of Toronto
“… 3. Students are permitted, under our conditions of use, to opt-out of using Turnitin. If a student chooses not to submit their assignment through Turnitin, instructors will need to find alternative arrangements to check their work as rigorously. (It should be noted that very few students choose to opt out.) Students cannot be penalized for choosing to opt out. If students choose to opt out, they should let their instructor know well in advance of submitting their paper. Ideally, they should communicate this during the first class, when the instructor is reviewing the course outline. In this case, you may ask them to submit all of their rough work for an assignment or you may have a short meeting with them and ask pointed questions about their research methodology. Instructors should not be asking students to do anything that might be perceived as additional work. We ask that instructors consult with the Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation when establishing these alternatives…” (Reference)
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X.1 General Information About FIPPA
“… b. Privacy: personal information held by universities must be protected. Student work, their grades, and their student numbers are examples of personal information that should be protected as they are collected, used, shared or destroyed. refuse changes to a syllabus once a course has started, unless approved by a majority of the class present…” (Reference)
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“DLS represents University of Toronto students in three different types of proceedings:
Charges under the Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters; Charges under the Code of Student Conduct; and Appeals of University Decisions
For the academic offences files, we represent students charged with offences such as plagiarism, unauthorized aid, and personation. We also represent people facing charges laid by the University for non-academic offences such as disruption or harassment.
We also represent students who are seeking to overturn university decisions. These decisions often include grades or procedural matters such as requests to defer exams or late withdrawal from courses for medical or compassionate reasons.”
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The term "academic integrity" describes the values that are essential to the pursuit of scholarship and participation in an educational community: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.
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An oral and/or written reprimand;
An oral and/or written reprimand and, with the permission of the instructor, the resubmission of the piece of academic work in respect of which the offence was committed, for evaluation. Such a sanction shall be imposed only for minor offences and where the student has committed no previous offence;
Assignment of a grade of zero or a failure for the piece of academic work in respect of which the offence was committed;
Assignment of a penalty in the form of a reduction of the final grade in the course in respect of which the offence was committed;
Denial of privileges to use any facility of the University, including library and computer facilities;
A monetary fine to cover the costs of replacing damaged property or misused supplies in respect of which the offence was committed;
Assignment of a grade of zero or a failure for any completed or uncompleted course or courses in respect of which any offence was committed;
Suspension from attendance in a course, or courses, a program, an academic unit or division, or the University for such a period of time up to five years as may be determined by the Tribunal. Where a student has not completed a course or courses in respect of which an offence has not been committed, withdrawal from the course or courses without academic penalty shall be allowed;
Expulsion - recommendation of expulsion from the university
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To forge or in any other way alter or falsify any document or evidence required by the University, or to utter, circulate or make use of any such forged, altered or falsified document, whether the record be in print or electronic form;
To use or possess an unauthorized aid or aids or obtain unauthorized assistance in any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other form of academic work;
To personate another person, or to have another person personate, at any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other form of academic work;
To represent as one’s own any idea or expression of an idea or work of another in any academic examination or term test or in connection with any other form of academic work, i.e., to commit plagiarism;
To submit, without the knowledge and approval of the instructor to whom it is submitted, any work for which credit has previously been obtained or is being sought in another course or program of study in the University or elsewhere;
To submit any academic work containing a purported statement of fact or reference to a source that has been concocted.
Academic Integrity
At the SCSU, we aim to protect and support all UTSC students to uphold the rights set out by the University. While the University can be a fun and rewarding experience, we recognize that it can also be a challenging time full of uncertainty and change. Students are expected to learn a large code of conduct, and to navigate a complex network of academic work, school policy, faculty-student relationships and administrative situations. When tough situations arise such as academic appeals or petitions, it is easy to feel lost in this vast network. That’s where your students’ union is here to support.
Petition & Appeal
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An appeal is submitted when you disagree with the decision of your petition. It can also appeal an academic sanction (offense) that has been given.
An appeal follows these tiers:
Tier 1: Registrar’s Office: Your petition is reviewed and is either granted or refused. You now have the ability to appeal this decision and will be reviewed by the following committees in this order:
Tier 2: Appeal by the Dean’s Advisory Committee: You must submit your appeal no later than 90 days after the petition has been denied by the Registrar’s Office. You would need to go to the Registrar’s Office to fill out the Request for Review of Petition Decision You will be notified on eService to when your appeal will be heard and that decision has been made.
Tier 3: The Subcommittee on Academic Appeals: If your petition is denied at Tier 2, it will then be reviewed by this committee. Again you have 90 days to submit your appeal. This is where you can file a Notice of Appeal which you can find in the Office of the Campus Council (BV504/502)
Final Tier: Academic Appeals Committee of Governing Council: This is the final level of review. This is the most formal level chaired with someone with legal expertise. You may receive legal counsel at this level, not mandatory. You have 90 days to submit this appeal, you can do this through filing a Notice of Appeal form to the Director or Coordinator of Appeals Committee
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A petition is a formal request made to the University in order to be exempted from an academic rule or policy. When you file a petition with the University they must keep your information in the strictest confidence. (This is also the first Tier of the Registar’s Office)
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An academic sanction or a petition decision that you are displeased with.
Course Registration Errors: In the case where you have made an honest mistake or the University has made an error in course enrollment/registration (If dropped a course by mistake, visit the Registrar’s Office immediately).
Deferred Exams: You must petition on eService within 72 hours of the missed exam. They will only be considered in the case of illness or an extreme emergency. When submitting a petition to defer an exam, you will have to take a reduced course load in the next semester.
Withdrawal from a Course: Unforeseen circumstances arise that require you to drop a course after the academic deadline.
Remarking/Rereads: If you believe that you were not graded fairly in an assignment or final exam you can petition to reread.
Deferring Academic Suspension: You are able to defer academic suspension if you have experienced circumstances that affected your academic performance such as a family emergency, caregiver duties, or a medical matter.
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Fee refunds
Most term work
Late enrollment in a course after the published deadline
Exams missed due to minor illnesses
Matters involving the conduct of an instructor, grading practices, and course organization should be dealt with the relevant academic department
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Yes. You have 90 days to submit a petition or, alternatively, 90 days for an appeal from the day you received your sanction.
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To receive these supports please book an appointment with the VP of Academics and University Affairs at academics@scsu.ca with any supporting documents. This is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please remember to photocopy everything you are submitting.
FAQ
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You have 10 business days from the date that you submit your petition to the Registar’s Office to submit additional documentation besides the petition form. Additional support documents include:
Verification of Student Illness or Injury Form
You can also get this note from AccessAbility services at UTSC, so there may be no need to get a Verification of Illness (VOI)
A death certificate or funeral notice
A police accident report
Travel ticket or itinerary
A letter from employer
The original form must be submitted, but we strongly encourage you to keep a photocopy.
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Yes. You are allowed to review the information in your file at any time.
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Petitions:
Log in to eService
Select “Submit New Petition” from the Petitions menu
You will then receive a petition reference number
Submit supporting documentation to the Registrar’s Office within 10 Business days from the day you submitted the petition with your reference number on the upper right hand corner. Documents must be in their original form. Appeals:
The steps for appeal submissions are situational-based, and will be sent to you through the Academic Integrity Office via email. *Please note that submissions must be made to their home campuses regardless of where the course is being offered.
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If your appeal is denied you can submit an appeal to the Academic Appeals Committee of Governing Council; Judicial Affairs Office no later than 90 days.
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Advice regarding how to go forward with your petition based on where you stand
Representation at the final appeals level the student can request for the VP of Academics and University Affairs of the SCSU to represent them in place of a lawyer
Aid in petition writing: We can review your application to find any points where you can strengthen your case.